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The processor/CPU (Central Processing Unit) is the brain of your computer. The CPU is a piece of etched silicon that does some very powerful things. It co-ordinates the real work of your computer, telling all the peripheral devices what to do and how to act. The speed of a processor works in megahertz (MHz). One thousand megahertz is equal to one gigahertz (GHz). Therefore a 3.2ghz Intel processor will run at 3200mhz.

AMD or Intel Pentium?

Each processor available has its advantages and disadvantages. Firstly, you have to decide whether you are looking for a performance computer, a basic computer for general use, or an extremely powerful computer.

If you  want a performance computer, then you have two options - an Intel Pentium or AMD Athlon 64.

Intel Pentium processors have a higher clock speed than Athlon 64 processors. They also have a large cache and they make use of a technology called Hyper Threading Technology. This generally means that Intel Pentium processors are very good at number crunching, encoding videos and all round multi-tasking. The type of customer who chooses Intel Pentium processor will be looking for a computer for video editing, photo editing and number crunching tasks.

AMD Athlon 64 processors have a slightly lower clock speed than Intel processors. They have a large cache and make use of Hyper Transport Technology. The type of customer who chooses and AMD Athlon64 processor will be looking for a computer for gaming, movies and home entertainment.

If you want a basic computer, you have two options - an Intel Celeron or AMD Sempron.

An Intel Celeron Processor will have a higher clock speed than an AMD Sempron processor and a large Front Side Bus. The type of customer who generally chooses an Intel Celeron processor (based on our own findings) will be looking for a computer for internet usage, emails, office and light gaming.

An AMD Sempron processor has a low clock speed compared to the Intel Celeron processor and a smaller cache. However, these two processors perform very closely to each other. The type of customer who generally chooses an AMD Sempron processor will be looking for a computer for internet usage, emails, light gaming and light photo editing.

If you want an extremely powerful computer, then two options ae available: - an Intel Pentium Extreme Edition or an AMD Athlon 64 FX.

An Intel Pentium Extreme Edition processor has a fast clocks peed, a "super-sized" Front Side Bus, and Hyper Threading technology. This processor will be bale to handle anything you throw at it. The type of customer who generally chooses an Intel Pentium Extreme Edition processor will be an extreme gamer or professional business man/woman, looking for a computer to aid his/her business, which is usually in video editing or imagery or intends to use the computer for high performance graphic intensive applications.

An AMD Athlon 64 FX processor has a slower clock speed than an Intel Pentium Extreme Edition processor, but a "super-sized" cache and Hyper Transport technology. The type of customer who generally chooses and AMD Athlon 64 FX processor is an extreme gaming enthusiast.
 

TABLE OF CONTENTS:

• CPU Comparison: AMD Athlon or Intel Pentium? What is the difference?
• Digital TV cards and TV/Radio Tuners for Media Centre PCs
• DVI, Sound Cards, Network Cards, Wireless Adapters
• FDD, Case, Power Supply Unit
• Firewire, Monitor, Keyboard, Mouse
• Front Side Bus(FSB), Hyperthreading Technology (HT)
• Optical drives: CD, DVD, CD-RW, DVD Writers and Graphic Cards
• Hard disks: RAID Arrays and Striping
• RAM, Motherboards
• Windows Operating Systems: Comparison Tables
• Most common PC applications: Anti-virus, MS Office Suite